Local media reported on a recent shooting
near the 800 block of Broad Ripple Ave.
Various sources within IMPD state the violent crime in and around Broad
Ripple has been trending upward since April.
Customers who frequent Broad Ripple restaurants and bars on Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays have been overwhelmed by huge crowds of loitering black youth
and an abnormal increase in “cruising” vehicles. Many patrons state that the “atmosphere”
around Broad Ripple has changed dramatically in the last 2 months; citing a
more “thug-like” influence has descended on this historically peaceful
area. Sources state the number of
arrests, specifically gun related arrests, has risen dramatically in the last
month. Reports of large fights,
narcotics usage and large groups of non-paying pedestrians have caused great
concern for many of the business owners in Broad Ripple. Economics is greatly influenced by perceived
public safety, and right now Broad Ripple is struggling to find solutions to
the current trend.
Previous months saw similar problems in the Downtown
area: Large fights involving black
youth, narcotics usage and gunfire. IMPD
committed a great number of resources to the Downtown District to try and
contain problem. Why? Businesses located in the Downtown were
concerned for the safety of their customers and the economic impact it would
have if people stopped visiting their establishments. I surmise the same concern exits in Broad
Ripple. So what is the common element
linking Downtown with Broad Ripple?
At the risk of sounding racist (and I really don’t care) I
will stated unequivocally that both locations experienced a huge increase in
loitering black youth. Facts are facts,
and I cannot sugar-coat what is painfully true.
Politicians and many business owners won’t state the facts for fear of
being labeled racist by the Al Sharpton’s of the world, but I will. It seems everywhere in Indianapolis that
large groups of black youth congregate, there is an increase in violent crime. How is our police department supposed to deal
with this reality? They are criticized
for “profiling”, but they are also criticized for increased violent crime as if
it’s their fault. Broad Ripple, like
Downtown, has many businesses that rely on paying customers, and if the money
dries up, the bars and restaurants shut down, people lose jobs, the city loses
tax dollars, and the quality of life regresses accordingly. IMPD is held accountable by the media,
concerned clergy, and various organizations to do something to stop the violent
crime, and yet they demand IMPD not profile!
How much sense does that make?
When will city leaders begin to hold the black ministers and
families accountable for rearing morally deficient youth? The quicker our community and government
leaders stop caring what the media and concerned clergy think of them, the
quicker we can get on with containing violent crime.
I pray these last two months in Broad Ripple aren’t a small
taste of what’s to come starting July 20th, the final weekend of Indiana
Black Expo. God help our city.
I would suggest that the "clientele" from the now closed Club Industry downtown is headed to The Village....and, yes, I remember the horrific videos shown at the liquor board hearing to revoke that liquor license.
ReplyDeleteI question if the bars in The Village are intentionally trying to cater to the "Club Industry" crowd?
If something isn't done fast, Broad Ripple will become known as Thug Village, and the restaurants will start closing. -It could be the same as Black Expo is downtown on a regular basis, and that is my own fear.
The attitude of contempt is the dominant characteristic. It is directed against society. It is acted out by this type of behavior, as well as vandalism, crime, and exploitation of society's institutions. This attitude is acted out by rejecting education, hygienic living and practicing self-destructive behavior. This attitude is learned. It has been taught for many years by the Liberal "intellectuals," who have created a paternalistic bureaucracy. Those intellectuals have an economic interest in maintaining the status quo...
ReplyDeleteThe attitude of contempt must yield to responsibiliy, respect, and pride for there to be improvement.
Very well said
DeleteThe watershed moment for me, when the realization really set in that this (sorry don't know the PC word for it) "urban" culture was a lost cause, was the Expo mass shooting a few hers back.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't the shooting itself, it was the fact that I saw kids running away from the crime scene laughing. I've never been able to get that picture out of my head.
I have been "googling" Broad Ripple loitering over the last few days to determine if ANYONE was doing ANYTHING about this growing problem. It seems as if NO ONE is doing ANYTHING. This past weekend my girlfriends and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night and decided to go out for a drink following the concert. It turned out to be a terrible evening following the concert. The "loitering" crowd simply roamed the streets from approximately 1am till Lord knows how late. While sitting at the window bar at OPTs, some young thugs decided they were going to attempt to steal our beverages off of the counter. When I asked the young man how old he was and if he really wanted a drink and was of age to have one, why he just didn't come into the bar to buy one himself, he became irate. He insisted he was old enough and cursed at me calling me a "dumb bitch" while his friend tossed around his very scary and very disturbing gang signs at me while making eye contact directly at me and smirking. This literally scared the, may I say it, piss out of me. One of my friends went outside to smoke when another young thug decided to run into her and state, "you know I can charge you with a deadly weapon." I am disturbed, I am scared, and something must be done. It's as if they are out loitering to simply scare the rest of us. I also live in the area, and am concerned about my safety on these weekend nights when I am home. I feel more safe while inside the bars, but forget going home or stopping by the local pizza place to get a slice before catching a cab home. Hell, our cab driver couldn't even turn right onto Guilford because of all the loitering in the middle of the road. Not sure what I can do, but I am willing to start a move. If we could all rally together and help the IMPD realize that the race card MUST be thrown out the window and the crime and loitering must stop, then LET'S DO IT! Broad Ripple needs to be known again for hip local music, fun energetic crowd, and the feeling of security that you are surrounded by people who simply want to enjoy a night out without feeling like they might get shot, mugged, raped, or beat up.
ReplyDeleteI have been "googling" Broad Ripple loitering over the last few days to determine if ANYONE was doing ANYTHING about this growing problem. It seems as if NO ONE is doing ANYTHING. This past weekend my girlfriends and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night and decided to go out for a drink following the concert. It turned out to be a terrible evening following the concert. The "loitering" crowd simply roamed the streets from approximately 1am till Lord knows how late. While sitting at the window bar at OPTs, some young thugs decided they were going to attempt to steal our beverages off of the counter. When I asked the young man how old he was and if he really wanted a drink and was of age to have one, why he just didn't come into the bar to buy one himself, he became irate. He insisted he was old enough and cursed at me calling me a "dumb bitch" while his friend tossed around his very scary and very disturbing gang signs at me while making eye contact directly at me and smirking. This literally scared the, may I say it, piss out of me. One of my friends went outside to smoke when another young thug decided to run into her and state, "you know I can charge you with a deadly weapon." I am disturbed, I am scared, and something must be done. It's as if they are out loitering to simply scare the rest of us. I also live in the area, and am concerned about my safety on these weekend nights when I am home. I feel more safe while inside the bars, but forget going home or stopping by the local pizza place to get a slice before catching a cab home. Hell, our cab driver couldn't even turn right onto Guilford because of all the loitering in the middle of the road. Not sure what I can do, but I am willing to start a move. If we could all rally together and help the IMPD realize that the race card MUST be thrown out the window and the crime and loitering must stop, then LET'S DO IT! Broad Ripple needs to be known again for hip local music, fun energetic crowd, and the feeling of security that you are surrounded by people who simply want to enjoy a night out without feeling like they might get shot, mugged, raped, or beat up.
ReplyDeleteIndyErin, your concern is shared by many I have spoken with. IMPD says they are aware of the problem and trying to do what they can, but their problem seems to be "manpower" related. The number of officers they are willing to dedicate to handle the growing problem is simply not enough.
ReplyDeleteBroadripple village is a powder keg. What I am going to write here will be incendiary to that.
ReplyDeleteWe will soon be blessed with colder weather that will keep the "loiterers" off the streets. I am not suggesting clearing the streets until then. Nor am I asking law enforcement to profile, though that would solve the problem in short order. I do not care if I am labelled a racist. If I hate, I am an equal opportunity hater. If you are an asshole, I will despise you. I am not a racist. I neither hate nor fault any person for their race. I am a culturalist. I truly hate and condemn all cultures who ascribe to the disruptive and destructive behaviors that are being perpetrated by these "loiterers" in Broadripple (and also downtown). Let's not kid ourselves, these cultures are not spawned in families and groups of people that venture to the village from the burbs. Yuppie party people are not causing the disruption. It is also not tolerated or encouraged in the alternative, thrashed, inked and pierced crowd that has a rep for more extreme behavior. As much press about the negatives of their cultures, you won't see groups of muslims, zionist jews, punks, hippies or even skinheads gathering and acting out with the thuggery of what we are seeing in Broadripple recently. You only can point to one type of people and their culture as the problem. Society did not create them. Their own culture did. We all know the derogatory terms that these people are labelled as. They revel in being labelled as such. They want to be viewed that way from those they wish to intimidate and harass. They want us to fear and hate them. Their goals are not to assimilate into the peaceful, fun and enjoyable experience of the village. They want to tear the peace down and make it their gangland, mob rules block party. If the village business owners, residents, PAYING clientele, politicians, local media and law enforcement don't develop a plan to deal with these people, next year's warm spell may bring an ever increasing threat. More rapes, muggings, beatings, mob brawls and - God forbid - possible mass shooting. Just as bad, the chance of an event that the international media could misrepresent as a Zimmerman/Martin type of incident The biggest threat is created by tolerating these assholes. I hope our city can figure it out before it loses one of the best year-round attractions that is has to offer.